Pivoted-jaw pipe wrench having a



B. L. LURIE Feb. 14, 1956 PIVOTED-JAW PIPE WRENCH HAVING A JAW-ACTUATING SPRING Filed July 15, 1953 Uited States Patent PIVOTED-JAW PIPE WRENCH HAVING A JAW-ACTUATING SPRING Benjamin L. Lurie, Chicago, Ill. Application July 15, 1953, Serial No. 368,025

2 Claims. (Cl. 8191) The present invention relates generally to wrenches. More particularly the invention relates to that type of wrench which is designed primarily for use in turning a pipe or like article and as its principal components or parts comprises: 1) an elongated hollow body; (2) a rigid one-piece handle, one end of which extends into what may be termed the inner end of the body and is pivotally connected to the inner end of the body at a point inwards of its extremity so that the handle as a whole is capable of swinging back and forth to a limited extent relatively tothe body; (3) a first arm which is connected to, and projects outwards from, the outer end of the body and is provided at its outer end with a laterally extending, pivotally mounted, pipe-engaging jaw; (4) a second arm which is disposed in opposed relation with the first arm and embodies at its outer end a laterally extending, pivotally mounted, pipe-engaging jaw; (5) an adjusting screw which is adapted to move the second arm to and from the first arm for the purpose of adjusting the wrench'to grip pipes of different diameters or sizes and has its ends pivotally connected by pivot pins to the central portions of the arms respectively; and (6) a T-shaped lever which is disposed within the central portion of the body, has one leg thereof pivotally connected to the body at a point adjacent the inner end of the first arm, has another leg thereof operatively connected to the extremity of the pivoted end of the handle, has the third leg thereof in pivotally connected relation with the inner end of the second arm, and operates automatically in response to swinging of the handle relatively to the body in a direction away from the second arm and after application of the jaws to a pipe to move the second arm outwards away from the body and also to swing or tilt said second arm in such direction as to cause the jaw thereon to move towards the jaw on the first arm.

As evidenced by United States Letters Patent No. 2,579,594, granted to me on December 25, 1951, it has heretofore been proposed in connection with a pipe wrench of the aforementioned type to have the handle loose with respect to the body, i. e. unencumbered by the action of a spring or similar instrumentality. In practice, it has been found that, if the handle is loose with respect to the body, the wrench is subject to two objections. In the first place, the user, as a preliminary to adjusting the arms to and from one another so that the wrench is capable of being applied to a pipe of a particular diameter, may not swing the handle to its fullest extent in the direction of the second arm for jaw opening purposes. If the adjustment is made without fully swinging the handle in the direction of the second arm, the T-shaped lever does not have sufiicient movement so that, when the jaws are applied to the pipe and the handle is swung initially in the direction of the first arm as a preliminary to turning of the pipe, it operates to move outwards and tilt the second jaw to such extent as to assure a firm grip of the pipe between the two jaws. The second objection to a loose handle is that the wrench does not readily lend itself to the usual ratchet-type motion which is employed when the wrench is used to effect appreciable turning of the pipe to which it is applied.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a pipe wrench which is an improvement upon, and eliminates the objections to, a wrench of the type heretofore mentioned, and is characterized by the fact that it embodies a spring which is disposed in the elongated hollow body and is applied to the T-shaped lever in such manner that, when the wrench is released after a pipeturning operation, it operates through the medium of the T-shaped lever fully to swing the handle in the direction of the second arm and thus elfect full opening of the jaw on the second arm with respect to the jaw on the first arm. By employing such a spring, the handle is always swung to its fullest extent in the direction of the first arm before the arms are adjusted to or from one another and hence, after an arm-adjusting operation, the T-shaped lever in the body has such full movement as to assure a firm grip of the pipe between the two jaws when the handle is swung in a direction away from the second arm in connection with a pipe-turning operation. Another advantage in employing the spring is that the wrench, in connection with appreciable turning of the pipe to which it is applied, lends itself readily to a ratchet-type action.

Another object of the invention is to provide a pipe wrench of the type or character under consideration in which the spring is a helical compression spring and has one end thereof in abutment with a stationary pin in the body and its other end in abutment with a laterally extending lug on the leg of the T-shaped lever that is pivotally connected to the body at a point adjacent the inner end of the first arm.

A further object of the invention is to provide a pipe wrench which is generally of new and improved construction, effectively and efiiciently fulfills its intended purpose, and is so constructed that it can be quickly and readily applied to, and removed from, a pipe or like article to be turned.

Other objects of the'invention and the various advanta'ges and characteristics of the present wrench will be apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description.

The invention consists in the several novel features which are hereinafter set forth and are more particularly defined by the claims at the conclusion hereof.

In the drawing which accompanies, and forms a part of, this specification or disclosure and in which like letters and numerals of reference denote corresponding parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a side elevation showing a pipe wrench embodying the invention with the handle thereof swun fully toward the second arm and in the position it normally assumes as a preliminary to application of the jaws of the wrench to a pipe to be turned;

Figure 2 is a view, partly in section and partly in side elevation, showing the wrench after the handle has been swung relatively to the body in a direction away from the second arm and has, as a result of such swinging, caused the inverted T-shaped lever to move the second arm outwards away from the body and also to tilt such arm so as to cause the jaw thereon to move towards the jaw on the first arm;

Figure 3 is a perspective of the stationary pin which is disposed in the body of the wrench and serves as an abutment for one end of the helical compression spring;

Figure 4 is a perspective of the helical compression spring'which operates through the medium of the T- shaped lever fully to swing the handle towards the second jaw after release of the wrench; and

Figure 5 is a perspective of the angle bracket which is applied to the pivotally mounted leg of the T-shaped Patented Feb. 14, 1956 O lever and forms a lug against which the other end of the p in ts- The wrench which is shown in the drawing constitutes the preferred form or embodiment of the invention. It is primarily, designed or adapted for use in turning'a pipe 12 and, as its principal parts, comprises an elongated housing-like body 10, a handle 11, a pair of oppositely disposed arms 12 and 13, an adjusting screw 14, a 'T- shaped lever 15, and a spring 16.

The body is in the form of a one-piece metallic casting and consists of a bottom wall 17, a pair of side walls 18, and a top wall 19. The two side walls are spaced a small distance apart and have the lower portions thereof joined to the side margins of the bottom wall 17 and their upper portions joined to the side margins of the top wall 19. As shown in the drawing, the body is horizontally elongated and is open at its ends.

The handle 11 is in the form of a one-piece forging or metallic casting and is adapted to have one end thereof gripped by the user in connection with use of the wrench for pipe-turning purposes. The other end of the handle extends into the inner end portion of the interior of the body 10 and is pivotally connected to the adjacent portion of the body by way of a horizontal pivot pin 20. The latter permits the handle to swing up and down to a limited extent relatively to the body of the wrench and has its ends fixedly mounted within aligned or registering circular holes 21 in the inner end portions of the side walls 18 of the body. The central portion of the pivot pin 26 extends loosely through a circular hole 22 in the adjacent or proximal end of the handle 11. The hole 22 is located a small distance inwards of the extremity of the proximal end of the handle and such extremity is provided with a notch 23. As best shown in Figure 2 of the drawing, the notch is arcuate and extends lengthwise of the handle.

The arm 12 projects outwards from the outer lower corner of the wrench body 10 and has its inner end formed integrally with the outer end of the bottom wall 17 and the outer lower portions of the side walls 18 of the body. The central portion of the arm 12 is shaped to form a substantially vertical socket 24. The latter extends completely through the arm 12 and has open ends. The outer end of the arm 12 is of reduced width or thickness and is provided with a U-shaped jaw 25. The latter straddles the outer end of the arm 12 and is secured in place by horizontal pivot pin 26 in order that it is free to rock back and forth lengthwise of the arm 12. The central portion of the pin 26 is fixedly mounted in a horizontal hole in the outer end of the arm 12, and the ends of the pin extend loosely through aligned or registering holes 27 in the side portions of the jaw 25. The intermediate portion of the jaw embodies a series of teeth 28 which face upwards and are adapted to engage or grip the lower portion of the pipe p as shown in Figures 1 and 2.

The arm 13 overlies the arm 12 and is movable to and from the latter as hereinafter described. The inner end of the arm 13 extends through the open outer end of the body 10 and is disposed in the upper central portion of the interior of the body. The central portion of the arm 13 is shaped to form a substantially vertical socket 29 and this extends completely through the arm and is substantially vertically aligned with the socket 24 in the central portion of the arm 12. As will be noted from Figures 1 and 2, the movable arm 13 projects outwards a comparatively small distance beyond the fixed arm 12. The outer end of the arm 13 is provided with a jaw 30, the upper portion of which isarcuate and fits rotatably in an arcuate downwardly facing recess in the outer end of the arm 13. The lower portion of the jaw 30'is provided with downwardly facing teeth 31 'which are adapted to engage or grip the upper portion of the pipe p. The jaw 30 is operatively connected to theouter end 4 of the arm 13 by any suitable means, such, for example, as t hose illustrated and described in United States Letters Patent No. 2,633,045, granted to me on March 31, 1953.

The adjusting screw 14 extends substantially vertically and serves as a medium or instrumentality for moving the arm 13 to and from the fixed arm 12. It has its lower end disposed in the socket 24 in the central portion of the fixed arm 12 and its upper end disposed in the socket 27 in the central portion .of the movable arm 13. The lower end of the screw 14 has a right-hand screw thread 32 and extends through a threaded hole in the central portion of a transversely extending pivot pin 33. The ends of this pivot pin are journalled or rotatably mounted in a pair of coaxial or aligned circular holes 34 in the sides of the socket-defining central portion of the fixed arm 12. The pivot pin 33 permits the adjusting screw 14 to swing back and forth between the outer end of the arm 12 and the outer end of the body 10. The upper end of the adjusting screw is provided with a left-hand screw thread 35 and extends through a threaded hole in the central portion of a transversely extending pivot pin 36. The ends of the pivot pin 36 are journalled or rotatably mounted in a pair of coaxial circular holes 37 in the sides of the socket-defining central portion of the movable arm 13. The central portion of the adjusting screw 14 is provided with a'knurled disc-like knob 38 for screw turning purposes. When the screw is turned in one direction, the arm 13 moves towards the fixed arm 12 and, when the screw is reversely turned or rotated by manipulation of the knob 38, the arm 13 is moved away from the fixed arm 12. By turning the adjusting screw 14, the arms 12 and 13 may be adjusted to receive pipes of different diameters. The pivot pin 36 permits the movable arm 13 to rock or tilt relatively to the adjusting screw 14.

The T-shaped lever 15 is-located in the central portion of the interior of the body 10, and serves, after application of the jaws 25 and 30 to the pipe 12 and in connection with downward swinging of the handle 11 relatively to the body, automatically to cause the movable arm 13 to move outwards a small distance from the body and also to tilt in such direction as to cause the jaw 30 thereof to move downwards towards the jaw 25. It is positioned in an inverted manner or fashion and consists of a head portion forming an outwardly extending leg 39 and an inwardly extending leg 40, and a stern portion forming an upwardly extending leg 41. The outwardly extending leg 39 is located a small distance above the outer end of the bottom wall 17 of the body 10 and is pivotally supported by way of a transversely extending pivot pin 42. The latter extends loosely through a circular hole 43 in the outwardly extending leg 39 of the lever 15 and has its ends fixedly mounted in coaxial circular holes 44 of the side walls 18 of the wrench body 10. It forms the articulation point for the lever and permits the latter to swing upwards and downwards relatively to the body. The inwardly extending leg 40 has a rounded or curved outer extremity and this fits within the notch 23 in the extremity of the pivoted end of the handle 11. When the handle is swung downwards, i. e. in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed in Figures 1 and 2, the lever 15 is caused to swing upwards relatively to the body. Reverse or up ward swinging of the handle 11 results in the lever 15 swinging downwards. The upwardly extending leg 41 of the lever has a rounded upper end and this fits pivotally within a three-quarter round socket 45 in the inner end of the movable arm 13 of the wrench. In connection with downward swinging of the handle 11 relatively to the body 10, the lever '15 operates to cause the arm 13 to move outwards and also to tilt in a clockwise direction as viewed in Figures 1 and 2. In connection with upward swinging of the handle relatively to the body, the inverted T-shaped lever 15 swings downwards and operates to cause the movable arm 13 to move inwards and also to tilt in a counter-clockwise direction.

The spring 16 is of the helical compression type and operates through the medium of the inverted T-shaped lever 15 to swing the handle 11 upwards to its fullest extent after the wrench is released following a pipe turning operation. When the handle is swung-upwards to its fullest extent, the lever, as previously pointed out, effects full retraction of the movable arm 13 and resultant full opening of the jaw 30 with respect to the jaw 25. The spring 16 is located in the interior of the body between the lever and the bottom wall 17 and extends lengthwise of the body. The leftwhand end of the spring, as viewed in Figures 1 and 2, is located beneath and to the left of the mid point of the head of the inverted T-shaped lever 15 and abuts against the central portion of a transversely extending pin 46. The ends of this pin are fixedly mounted in aligned or coaxial holes 47 in the central parts of the lower marginal portions of the body side walls 18. The other end of the spring 16, i. e. the right-hand end of the spring as viewed in Figures 1 and 2, is disposed beneath the outer end of the leg 39 and abuts against a depending lug 48. The latter constitutes one leg of an angle bracket 49. The other leg of the angle bracket is designated by the reference numeral 50. It fits flatly against the lower portion of the leg 39 of the T-shaped lever 15 and is fixedly secured thereto by way of a substantially vertical screw 51. Such screw extends through a hole 52 in the outer end of the leg 50 of the angle bracket 49 into a screw-threaded socket 53 in the inner end of the leg 39. The spring 16 is arranged so that it is under compression at all times and serves to urge the T-shaped lever in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed in Figures 1 and 2. When the handle 11, in connection with a pipe-turning operation, is swung downwards relatively to the body 10, the spring 16 is compressed. When the handle is released after a pipe-turning operation, the spring expands and operates through the medium of the inverted T-shaped lever 15'to swing the outer end of the handle upwards to its fullest extent. Such swinging movement on the part of the handle operates, as heretofore pointed out, to retract the movable arm 13 and also to open its jaw 30 with respect to the jaw 25 on the outer end of the fixed arm 12. By employing the spring 16, the jaw 30 is always in its fully opened position as a preliminary to manipulation of the adjusting screw 14. Because of this, the T-shaped lever at the conclusion of a jaw-adjusting operation has full movement and hence, in connection with initial downward swingingof the handle relatively to the body, assures that the pipe to which the jaws are applied is firmly gripped between the jaws 25 and 30. The spring 16 serves materially to facilitate use of the wrench with a so-called ratchet action.

When it is desired to use the wrench to turn the pipe p, the user adjusts the movable arm 13 so as to space apart the jaws 25 and 30 to the proper extent to receive the pipe. The adjustment is effected by turning the screw 14 in one direction or the other, depending upon whether it is desired to move the arm 13 to or from the fixed arm 12. After the arm 13 is properly adjusted so that the jaws are set or positioned to receive the pipe, the wrench is shifted bodily toward the pipe in order to bring the jaws into gripping relation with opposite portions of the pipe. Directly following shift of the wrench towards the pipe, the handle 11 is swung downwards. In connection with initial downward swing ing of the handle, the handle swings relatively to the body 10 and operates through the medium of the inverted T-shaped lever 15 to cause the movable arm 13 to move outwards from the body and also to tilt in such direction as to cause the jaw 30 firmly to grip the adjacent portion of the pipe. After the two jaws are in firm gripping relation with the pipe, further down 1 As soon as downward pressure on the handle is released,

the spring 16 operates through the medium of the lever 15 to swing the handle 11 upwards relatively to the body. Such upward swinging on the part of the handle causes the movable arm to tilt upwards and move inwards, thus causing the jaw 30 to move away from the jaw 25. If it is desired to turn the pipe 2 in a clockwise direction, as viewed in the drawing, instead of a counterclockwise direction, the wrench is reversed, i. e. it is turned upside down.

The herein described wrench effectively and efficiently fulfills its intended purpose and this is directly attributable to the fact that it includes the helical compression spring 16 which, as heretofore pointed out, operates through the medium of the T-shaped lever 15 to swing the handle 11, after release, to its fullest extent in the direction of the movable arm 13.

Whereas the wrench has been described as a medium for turning a pipe, it is to be understood that it may be used to turn any other article. It is also to be understood that the invention is not to be restricted to the details set forth, since these may be modified within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the function and scope of the invention.

Having thus described the invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A pipe wrench comprising an elongated housing-like body with open ends, a handle having one end thereof extending into one end of the body and pivotally connected thereto at a point inwards of its extremity so that it is capable of swinging back and forth to a limited extent relatively to said body, a first arm having its inner end connected fixedly to the other end of the body and embodying at its outer end a pipe-engaging jaw, a second arm disposed in opposed relation with the first arm and having its outer end provided with a pipe-engaging jaw and its inner end projecting into said other end of the body, an adjusting screw adapted to move the second arm to and from the first arm and having its ends pivotally connected respectively to central portions of the arms, a T-shaped lever disposed in the body, having one leg thereof connected pivotally to the body at a point adjacent the inner end of the first arm, another leg operatively connected to the extremity of said one end of the handle and its third leg in pivotally connected relation with the inner end of said second arm, operative in response to swinging of the handle relatively to the body in a direction away from the second arm to move said inner end of the second arm outwards or in a direction away from the body and also to tilt said second arm in such direction as to cause its jaw to move towards the jaw on the first arm, and also operative in response to swinging of the handle relatively to the body in a direction towards the second arm to move said second arm in a direction towards the body and also to tilt it so that its jaw moves away from the jaw on said first arm, and a compression spring disposed in the body and applied to the lever so that it is operative through the medium of said lever to urge the handle in said direction towards the second arm.

2. A pipe wrench comprising an elongated housing-like body with open ends, a handle having one end thereof extending into one endof the body and pivotally connected thereto at a point inwards of its extremity so that it is capable of swinging back and forth to a limited extent relatively to said body, a first arm having its inner end connected fixedly to the other end of the body and embodying at its outer end a pipe-engaging jaw, a second arm disposed in opposed relation with the first arm and having its outer end provided with a pipe-engaging jaw and its inner end projecting into said other end of the body, an adjusting screw adapted to move the second arm to and from the first arm and having its ends pivotally connected respectively to central portions of the arms, a T-shaped lever disposed in the body, having one leg thereof connected pivotally to the body at a point adjacent the inner end of the first arm and provided with a laterally extending lug, another leg operatively connected to the extremity of said one end of the handle and its third leg in pivotally connected relation with the inner end of said second arm, operative in response to swinging of the handle relatively to the body in a direction away from the second arm to move said inner end of the second arm outwards or in a direction away from the body and also to tilt said second arm in such direction as to cause its jaw to move towards the jaw on the first arm, and. also operative in response to swinging of the handle relatively to the body in a direction towards the second arm to move said second arm in a direction towards the body and also to tilt it so that its jaw moves away from the jaw on said first arrn,'a pin mounted fixedly in the housing and spaced from the lug, and a helical compression spring extending betweenthe pin and the lug and 0p erative through the medium of the lever to urge the handle in said direction towards the second arm.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

